NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has directed the National Election Commission to consider Aadhaar card or 11 other documents as identity documents. The court also directed that the entire procedure should be in favor of the voters. The court informed the election commission that they will allow voters who have been removed from the electoral roll to add Aadhaar card or 11 other types of documents online to claim their names to be included again. Aadhaar card was not included in the eleven identity documents initially accepted by the commission.

Booth-level agents should be specially instructed to help voters submit the necessary forms along with one of the eleven documents or Aadhaar card. The court also asked the political parties in the state to help voters in this.

The Supreme Court expressed surprise that none of the parties in Bihar came forward to correct their names after the removal of voters. 85,000 voters have come forward with objections regarding their removal. The reason for this is that only two of them came through booth agents or parties.

The court had earlier ordered the immediate publication of the list of 65 lakh people who were hastily excluded from the voter list in Bihar, which is due to hold assembly elections later this year. The court had also asked for a reasoned explanation for the exclusion of each voter.

A bench comprising Justices Suryakant and Joymalya Bagchi said that doing so would only increase the credibility of the commission. The apex court's intervention was on petitions filed by political parties and voluntary organizations, including those of the 'India' front. It had also directed that Aadhaar be accepted as an identity document. The court also directed that a newspaper advertisement be published stating that Aadhaar would be accepted.